The filmmaker's latest movie, "I Can Do Bad All By Myself," burned the rest of the competition by grossing $24 million, according to early estimates by Hollywood.com Box Office. In only five years, Perry has made eight films, five of which debuted at the top of the charts.

"I Can Do Bad" represented the director's third-largest opening, trailing "Madea Goes to Jail," which put away $41 million its first weekend earlier this year, and "Madea's Family Reunion," which tallied $30 million in 2006.

Audiences liked what they saw too, as "I Can Do Bad," which stars Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") as a nightclub singer, earned a solid "A" rating from CinemaScore moviegoers.

The post-apocalyptic animated flick "9" took second place with $10.9 million in just 1,661 theaters. The PG-13 toon, which premiered on Wednesday, has cumulatively earned $15.3 million.

Third place went to Quentin Tarantino's sturdy "Inglourious Basterds," which dropped only 44 percent in its fourth weekend to capture $6.5 million. The violent WWII pic, which has so far grossed $104.3 million, should pass "Pulp Fiction" this week to become Tarantino's highest-grossing movie.

The weekend's two other new releases failed to leave a mark. The college slasher "Sorority Row" grossed $5.3 million, which was enough for sixth place but far behind the recent openings of "The Final Destination" ($27.4 million) and "Halloween II" ($16.3 million). The Kate Beckinsale thriller "Whiteout," which is set in Antarctica, froze on arrival with a mere $5.1 million. The single penguin employee in Antarctica's tourism office won't be uncorking that bottle of champagne tonight.

In limited release, "The September Issue" -- the documentary about Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour -- expanded into 111 theaters and grossed $730,000 for a fashionable per-screen average of $6,577.